A passenger jet collided Wednesday with an Army helicopter while landing at Ronald Reagan National Airport near Washington, prompting a large search-and-rescue operation in the nearby Potomac River.
Here’s what we know so far:
- What happened? The Federal Aviation Administration said the midair collision occurred around 9 p.m. EST when a regional jet that had departed from Wichita, Kansas, crashed into a military Blackhawk helicopter while on approach to an airport runway.
- Was anyone hurt? There was no immediate word on casualties. A search and rescue effort in the Potomac River is on the way
- What do we know about the passenger jet? American Airlines flight 5342 was inbound to Reagan National at an altitude of about 400 feet and a speed of about 140 miles per hour when it suffered a rapid loss of altitude. The Canadian-made Bombardier CRJ-701 twin-engine jet was manufactured in 2004 and can be configured to carry up to 70 passengers.
The Associated Press is providing live video of the scene of the plane crash near Washington’s Reagan Airport:
Source: Berkshire mont